The lack of self-awareness game in Zutara shippers is crazy as shit,Katara and Zuko were obsessed with Aang the whole show while thinking the other was the biggest loser in existense and Katara said 1613948 times she hates having to act like a mom and wants to be a real kid and rizzed up Aang like almost every episode starting from The Boy In The Iceberg and Zuko's redemption arc only worked because he was actually willing to unpack his baggage and improve as a person and rid himself of his bigoted ways and selfish treatment of others because he didn't deserve to be babied after all he did to the Gaang and it's hammered into our heads in-text and so's that Aang and him are platonic cosmic soulmates by choice against the universe trying to keep them apart and Katara is Litte Miss Punk Tactics(reclaiming femininity against traditionalism and cisheteronormatovity and fucking eco-terrorism at 14 as her lifestyles??????Damn okay slay babygirl)and YET,

Okay i can't even list off everything Zutaras gentrify in the fandom because the list is longer than Iroh's beard but i will say that Katara ending up with Zuko is about as dark richer storytelling than Kataang + Dadko as telling Bob The Builder 'No we can't',about as feminist as Rick Riordan and about as positive rep for woc as The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Kataang

As of Chapter 81, this is crew of the Courageous from Time to Orbit: Unknown, a marvellous space drama and mystery by @derinthescarletpescatarian . Original sketches & character guide below. Many of the character appearances are based on headcanon, but the ones with asterisks are based on canon sources.

I drew Celi first! I figured I would do the people in front, who I would have to draw most of their bodies, and work from left to right. Celi has had multiple organ issues, so she looks a little drawn (lol) and is still recovering in her wheelchair :). I drew her with small braids just hanging from the top of her head, as I imagine she’s too tired to take care of her hair very often, but still wants to keep some, so she has a sort of cap of braids. There’s probably a term for the style, but idk. Celi is of North African descent.

Next to Celi is Renn. His head looks wonky because I was drawing at an angle at the time. He’s been mostly depilated, and I imagine him in a sort of Aang-meets-European-in-a-tracksuit outfit because he’s calm and tries not to do much drama, but is condescending. Renn is of West Asian/American/Tarandran descent.

Then we have Public Universal Friend (PUF) 2 with the twists. I figure it doesn’t want a lot of hair to take care of, and this style keeps it out of its face. Same clothes as the other PUF. It is kneeling, with one leg propped up. It is of coastal Southern East African descent.

*Then laying on the ground is Tal. Ke is looking at kes tablet because ke doesn’t like focusing on other things. Tal is unfortunately at the wrong angle to show off ke’s face tattoo. Small afro kept stylishly kept, along with some garters and a short skirt. Ke is laying down because ke feels like it. Ke is of West African/American/Texan descent.

*Then we have Aspen, the POV character, smack dab in the middle. Canonically, they’d don’t have a headband as far as we know, but I think their hair looks nice pushed up like that. They are wearing a jumpsuit like last time, but this time has a belt for flair, because Tal and Sunset convinced them. Aspen sits cross cross because they can and it’s a common sitting posture in Arborea. They are of West African/American/Arborea Atlantican descent.

Lina is kneeling like PUF2, but facing the other way. I gave her buns and square jewelery because I based her off of a Hopi woman’s ’do that I really liked, and Lina can be short for names like Catalina. She has freckles because they’re fun. She’s gained some muscle and weight since the last picture, which is great! She is of Hopi/Latin American descent.

Last is Sunset. She is a zeelite, a subculture interested in replicating and investigating pre-Neocambrian (aka our time) cultures. She is largely inspired by what she knows of punk, pastel goths, drag, and to be honest, Barbie (2023). She is voguing because she knows and appreciates the importance of looking good. Sunset is of Central African/of Sirius descent.

Now for the top row, left to right again!

First, we have Heli. She wears functional but pretty clothes because she appreciates utility but always wants to show off what she’s got. The newest addition to the crew, she’s a little spiky, but has a soft spot for Adin. She was inspired by a picture of a Sistergirl from Australia (my headcanon, I only saw a picture of her and was unable to find more specific information). Heli is of Indigenous Australian descent.

*Next, we have Adin. I keep forgetting to draw him with tattoos, so I added a neck one last minute. His look has probably changed the most - his canon picture came out only a few months ago, so I drew him differently the first time. Adin cooks a lot, so he doesn’t try to wear anything or have a hairdo that could be ruined by cooking. Adin is of West African/Arborea Atlantican/American/Texan descent.

*Next up, the tallest of the bunch (and I forgot to draw his left arm until last minute, we have Denish! He’s doing the Arnold Schwarzenegger pose. The gentle Giant of the group, I was unable to recapture his face quite the same way as last time, but I still think he turned out well. He’s one of my favorite space pirates. I think he wears high collars to hide Tinera’s hickeys. Denish is of West African/American/Texan descent.

Right in front of Denish is PUF 1, AKA Dr. PUF. Still has tousled hair, still has the same robe. PUF is kneeling. It is of European descent.

*Hanging off of Denish is Tinera! She’s changed also, as her official looks came out, though I think I’ve kept her pretty nice looking still! I forgot to give her glasses though :(. I gave her Garnet (Steven Universe) finger gloves because they look cool. Tinera is of Central African/Lunarian descent.

Under Tinera is Sam. He’s partly visually inspired by the Dad of some kids I watch, and Ballister from Nimona. He likes to gaze at the stars and wonder about all the stories that will be told about them. Sam is of South Asian descent.

*Lastly is Keldin (AKA Captain Sands). He’s always dressed well and keeps his hair well-coifed. Hardly anyone from the ‘first’ crew likes him. He is standing awkwardly farther away because he knows everyone near him isn’t his tan. Keldin is of West African/American/Trandran descent.

Katara:*Talking about all the unhinged direct action she wants to take against the Fire Nation and other oppressive groups*

Aang:You are INSANE.We should kiss

"Unlike Zutara,Kataang ISN'T a fantasy for brownskin/darkskin woc!"Aang literally saw Katara's face for like 7 seconds tops and asked her out on a date because he was that bewitched by her brown girl swag

Punk culture is fundamentally misunderstood in fandoms because the most popular modern Atla headcanons are that Zuko would be a teenage dirtbag who's an outcast because he's a rebel against society,Aang would be an everyday boys boy and Katara would be a perfect traditionally feminine prep who's snooty and has no time for 'losers' but in the actual show Zuko's the son of the most politically powerful man alive that he did everything to please with the point of his redemption arc being learning TO rebel for what's right,Aang's a cutesy soft uwu ray of sunshine who only represses his femininity because he's gotten made fun of for it and it hurts his feelings and Katara is an instigator who breaks laws to help out struggling communities,refuses to fit into the box of what femininity is 'supposed to be' to reclaim her girlyness for herself and commits anti-imperialist war crimes nonstop starting at the age of 14

Zuko stans hating Aang makes them posers because REAL Zuko understanders know if anybody talks shit about Aang,Zuko's reaction would be to maim them like an insane cat

HE'S MY LIL GUYYYYYYYYYYYYY

OUUUUGGGGHHHHHHH😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 /very pos

See,here's what not clicking for Atla fans who believe and i quote 'No girl would choose Aang over Zuko':Zuko is society's ideal boyfriend.Aang is KATARA'S ideal boyfriend.It was kinda a big thing of hers,remember?Her wanting to not conform to gender expections and be a girl in her own way?Also all the anarchism and direct action and activism and anti-imperialist eco-terrorism?That Aang helped her out on on a regular basis and thought was attractive?Am i ringing any bells yet or are you still busy dressing up Katara in her colonizer nation's wardrobe from season 3 over half the time while accusing Aang of making her assimilate and writing Iroh as their wingman inbetween your metas on how Katara was forced to be with Aang.It's fine,i was gonna tune out your awnser while listening to the Avatar's Love Lo-Fi cover anyway

Tbqh a big thing that annoys me about the over denial of punk Katara is that there's no evidence against it or for her being pastel."But she's canonically the Mom Friend!"So am i,being a parent friend is a trait of being punk because we greatly value community and kindness towards younger minorities."She's super girly!!"Can she not be punk AND feminine?You are aware that punk women exist?"She'd probably like fancy clothes and expensive things!"Where are you getting this from.She spent the whole show proudly in her cultural fits and pokes fun at if not outright mocks rich people."She's not hardcore enough to be punk!"Miss Ocean Girl can bloodbend and is an eco-terrorist and the only thing that stopped her from that one murder is that she was 14."But we need a soft girly girl to contrast Toph's rowdy tomboy and Zuko's brooding edgy!"PUT SOME RESPECT ON TY LEE'S NAME!!!!GOOD LORD,THAT'S LIKE THE WHOLE PROBLEM!You guys keep projecting Ty Lee onto Katara because you don't want to just engage with Ty Lee herself?????For some reason???????So as a result you fall into the trap that the series CALLED OUT that there's only one kind of girlhood-Katara was a punk,TY LEE did ballet,Toph was a skater boy and now Mai's a superstar.Women's rights

Aang,laying on Zuko's shoulder and sleepy due to how much he ate:Do you think we're friends in every universe?

Zuko,looking at him in confusion before smiling:That's a dumbass question-Of course we are.If i wasn't friends with you,i wouldn't be me.And i don't want to be me if there's no you,because you made me feel like i meant something-To someone but like i deserved to exist too

If i had a nickel for every time a 2000s anime character was a teenage anarchist of color who's mom was killed in front of them by a villain who wouldn't be revealed until the last part of the series and it changed their entire brain chemistry due to how brutal the trauma was so they coped by acting tough and invulnerable but openly kind because of their strong sense of justice they're always talking about and taking direct action in,took on the parental role for their sibling(s)and learned to let themselves be cared for and protected back and act like the kid they are as major character development,had autistic swag and big bi trans energy,tried to act like the sane one but are just as unhinged as the rest of their friend group,are op as fuck but in a way that works for them specifically and was cosmic soulmates by choice with a super bubbly and optimistic pastel person who's basically god and openly down horrendous for them and that they're more protective and soft to than they are anyone else because they're their biggest signal of hope and greatest friend they've ever had in addition to being perfect for them romantically,i'd have TWO nickels.Which isn't a lot but it's pretty weird it happened twice,right?

Does the whole Aang beef from the fandom give westernaziation to anyone else.Why does 'fixing' Aang always have to rely on erasing the buddhism inherent in his character like i could be imagining it but idc idc it don't seem too slick

I SAW A ZUKO FANART OF THE FIRST MEME ABOUT HIM SEARCHING FOR AANG AND IT GAVE ME THIS IDEA Yeah it knocked me the fuck out(Also they were both so real for this)

Reasons why Kataang is a good ship

Poc4Poc m/f with the girl being darker,which combats the colorist idea that dark skin=masculine/male

The boy in it is a soft ray of sunshine who's a pacifist by virtue of being a buddhist and femme with his gf never making fun of him for it and instead finding it attractive

And the girl is feminine but not in a sanitized way and actively works to reclaim for herself against misogyny and is super strong-willed,assertive,snarky and a punk with her bf finding that attractive

Adultified kid x Kid who acts extra silly to cope with trauma and helps them feel like their age too by getting them to join them

Really cute canon aesthetic(blue x orange/'Excuse me,he asked for veggie burger!'energy with their height difference/Aang's shaved head for poc reasons and Katara's long fancy hair for her own heritage)and an equally cute one in mondern aus(Pastel punk x Regular punk)

They LITERALLY do activism together as like half their dynamic

Katara isn't forced to like Aang back and he lets her go at her own pace

And when he does mess up,it's shown for what it is and he feels bad and grows from it

Aang was Katara's hope for a better world for her people♡

Their feelings get pointed out sometimes but by people who it makes sense to know it instead of based of amatonormativity

Their daughter is the franchise's first canon lesbian and it's also canon that they instantly loved and supported her when she came out to them so KATAANG SAYS GAY RIGHTS BABEY

A fandom thing but wether you ship Kataang as your only canon couple or love all of them,there's plenty of content for both!!Maiko with a side of Kataang?Decades worth of content!You feeling like some Kataang with your Zukka?There's a high chance you'll get not only that but t4t Kataang specifically too!!And we're a rare breed but Ty Luko and Kataang in the same verse is a really fun concept that i'll be happy to talk about if asked!

And another fandom thing is that bloggers who call out gross people and have a firm grasp on the show while still not treating it as perfect and giving it rightful critisism and make the especially cute,funny and/or culturally accurate content are almost always Kataang shippers!!Seriously,they're a big reason i love the ship so much,K/A stans are genuinely one of the best kinds of people i've ever had the pleasure of meeting

You're more than welcome to add on!